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Blythe Dolls

Hemingway/Raffles Room - Casapinka1

March 24, 2010

I finished my latest little project in the middle of a downpour and thought it was the perfect little frock for a giveaway. I believe it showed considerable strength on my behalf, since it's mostly green and only has two flowers, really, since the top one is attached to a pin. Talk about a mish-mash of fun materials: The pink trim is a beautiful wool from Australia. The green wool is from a perfectly situated little shop, just off I-93 on the way into Boston. I can usually convince Husband (jeez, I hope he doesn't decide to read this) that we need gas right about the JFK Library turnoff, and he can just drop me there for the shortest ten minutes ever. And each time I'm able to act like, "You know, honey, that looked like a yarn store - could you just drop me there so I can check it out?" So far, he hasn't noticed the coincidence between low gas and the yarn store, he is a guy, after all. They also have Amy Butler fabric and are crochet-friendly.

The fuchsia flower is a hand dyed yarn from right here in New England, the white flower is wool from Scotland, and the little pink button is a vintage button from an antique store down the street. It will fit a size Small and is meant to be worn like this. It's got a lot of flexibility in whom it fits - you could even give it to a kiddo, say a size 10,12, or 14 and it will fit but just be looser. It's waaaay too big for Juniorette who is six, otherwise I'd never get away with this! If you'd like to win it, leave a comment and please tell me where you live - I love to know where my visitors are situated around the globe. I'll do a random drawing next Wednesday and announce the winner. And if you're bummed that it's a size Small, leave a comment about what size I should make next time, then go and enter this giveaway that my old flatmate is doing (it's just useless chocolate - off you go, now.) Or, if you'd like to make your own frock, the pattern is the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet and can be found here for free.

I snapped this when I was buying the green wool. I mean, one can hardly blaming me for siphoning off not putting gas in the tank before leaving Providence, right?

June 10, 2007

I posted about this Gumps mirror that I won on Ebay but I've yet to hang it. It weighs probably fifty pounds so I'm going to leave that to Jimmy. I'm thinking of placing it here (the table is just to support it) in the Hemingway Room, but does a large mirror like this fit on a small wall space? So you can orient yourselves, directly to the left is the foyer:

and to the right is the kitchen and the vintage fly swatters and needlepoint Chinese couple:

I tried the mirror over the mantle but you could hear Anna shriek in protest from halfway around the world (and Kim - also had a bit to say about it.) You never know if you don't try, though! If I've learned nothing else in this process, I've definitely learned that sometimes the unexpected is the most appealing.

As for the wallpaper, it was left in the rain on arrival and one roll was damaged. Of course, since I threw out the original wrapper before I knew it was damaged, insurance won't cover it and Wallpaper from the Seventies basically said "too bad" so I have to order another roll. I'll post it when it finally gets done.

May 28, 2007

I picked these aged keys out of a large can of keys at the flea market on Sunday. I was thinking that I could mount them on bamboo backing or fabric and frame them. Of course, you do know that I'm also interested in your ideas.I really like their lines and curves and the rust just adds a bit to the charm. I do think they are a bit small to hang directly on the wall with nails, but heck, for three bucks a girl can hardly go wrong.

Jimmy is supposed to get started on Petite Casapinka tomorrow. I'm sleeping with my fingers crossed tonight, though (Monday night.) He's sooooooo good about getting the job done but he always has a bunch of people calling him. I sure hope he's mine this week!

Update, 0750 Tuesday: Jimmy and Mark are here and Petite Casapinka is getting ready for the big makeover!

May 27, 2007

You may remember the painting that I posted here of husband's "Dream Room." I found another interior painting at the flea market today (Sunday), a different color scheme, but no less fascinating. When I posted the other painting a number of you requested closeups and I've finally gotten around to photographing it again.

You may also remember those watercolors that I found on Ebay. I've had a few offers to purchase them from me but I do enjoy their uniqueness. I need to plan how to frame all of these interior paintings (my huge collection of four) and how to display them. I think the watercolors will be more suitable in a different area of the house but I really need some proper sleep for a change to think about this further.

I've taken the Frida down (it was a joke there to begin with so no need to panic) and was thinking of putting these paintings above the chair once they are framed. There, or to the left of the chair, a space that I will photograph for you in the near future.

Thank you all for your ideas for Petite Casapinka. Tonight is my last of my 10/12 nights working and I will have three blissful days off to look them over, add my own ideas, talk to my designery friends etc. Jimmy is coming Tuesday to start on Petite Casapinka and wallpaper the foyer so I hope to have some interesting photographs to post this week.

March 22, 2007

I have lived in temporary places for so much of my life I admit that I don't quite understand the value of hanging art or decorative items on a wall. Not only is it difficult to rid one's self of this mindset, it is also daunting to make a decision what to hang or display. I 'bit the bullet' and hung these needlepoint pieces with these vintage rug beaters that Anna found for me on Ebay.

Suddenly, the room appears to have three dimensions! I am enjoying the progress of Casapinka and the feeling that I am in a home where I shall stay for some time, where my husband and I can grow as a couple (although we've already been married eight years) and develop family traditions, such as our root beer tree.

Casapinka has given me the boot in the trousers that I need to keep going with the house, when sometimes all I want to do is sit and watch Dr. 90210 or Wife Swap (hee - said facetiously - some of you think I'm quite serious with my lame quips and I get emails about this.) I appreciate all of your comments, compliments and constructive criticism. Thanks to all of you for being a part of our home's metamorphosis.

I have received a number of emails about the tutorial for the file cabinet. Rest assured, it is on it's way. I've had a busy work week and between teething, Spring break...well, you get the picture!

For those of you who have emailed me about the color of my foyer, it is Benjamin Moore's Cumulus Cotton.

March 19, 2007

While puttering around the Studio today I decided to try my hand at arranging some books by color. This has been making the blogrounds recently and is probably the most logical way I can think of to organize one's books.

I've just hung my other Frida painting in the Hemingway room (Look at index to right to view more photos of the room.) For those of you who are new to Casapinka, let me recap the basis for the Hemingway room. In a nutshell, very conservative husband, very UN-conservative wife. Wife wants husband to have a room other than his study where he feels at home. He loves literature and the whole Hemingway look - plantation shutters, subtle barfy wall colors, dark floors and a conservative couch with MATCHING chair, dark tropical fan. Or, if you are more visual go here to visit a slideshow of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. This is husband's mothership.

The readers of Casapinka have convinced husband that pillows should be done in a contrasting fabric but wife still feels she needs a small corner for herself in this room. Enter Frida. There won't be any more Frida heads, but this is my little art corner, since I sit in the chair off to the side. Husband can't even see the Fridas! I've left space to the right of the new Frida for some other pieces, and if you remember, I'm a bit scared to hang my own art so am moving slowly with it. I realize that the new Frida is a bit higher than the old but I think with the other pieces it won't really matter. Besides, when you're standing on a soft chair with a baby screaming in the background, your toddler trying to pour the gin you've disguised in a Coke can down the baby's throat, you just want to get the thing hung without anyone bleeding. Ya know?

After reading the March 2007 Domino (p. 90) I bought some eco friendly coiled flourescent bulbs for the green bird lamps. These are supposed to be "kind" fluorescents and truly, I don't feel like walking with my hands over my bum, as fluorescent lights in a dressing room cause me to do when trying on swimsuits. Good thing, too, because it would look strange to walk around my own house with my hands over my ass.

What are you doing to contribute to sustainable living? If you're at a loss, visit Ideal Bite for a simple "tip a day." If everybody does something small, it adds up to something large.

March 07, 2007

Oh flea market, how good to me you are! I found a matching set of end tables a couple of weeks ago. I am still (as usual) trying to work through my confusion about furniture arrangement and where to put my artwork. I have emailed Anna detailed photos of the Hemingway room so we can try and figure out where to put everything. I just moved our huge (way too big for the room, but it's bought and is staying) armchair and ottoman into the corner. The problem is that the tv isn't visible from it. This might be ok when we get another tv somewhere else (you know - that universal male dream of a large screen tv.) Nancy Drew is going in my studio and boy, do I have great plans for Frida. She's got a few new friends I haven't shown you but I soon will. We also need to figure out a rug and I need to get shades for the bamboo lights, which are GORGEOUS in person. A stunning buy. I promise I will post more of a finished Hemingway room next week, as I'm sure it's getting a bit tedious to see little purchases here and there without seeing where they go. Can't you just PICTURE some nice contrasting pillows on the couch and armchair? Slowly, we will de-brownify the Hemingway room and make it into a haven.

March 06, 2007

Husband loves Oscar Wilde and thought maybe adding something a bit "Wilde" to the Hemingway room would be smart. He found this action figure on Ebay.

Husband: I found this on Ebay and thought it would look good on the mantle.
Me: Oh. Why not just put an early addition of "Dorian Gray" on a shelf or take a photo of his statue in Merrion Park with the kids? (We're off to Ireland next month.)
Husband: No, this is just what I've been searching for. Can I use your Paypal account?
Me: Ok, let's just rest on it overnight just to be sure.
Husband: Well, I'm afraid they might sell out of them.

March 03, 2007

This vintage needlepoint couple was found at an estate sale and came to us via Ebay. We now have some various art for the Hemingway room but I find myself paralyzed. Where to put it, how to arrange it, what goes with it, how should I frame it. These two are already framed with some decorative braid work on the side and they're quite tall (about 18 inches.) They are apparently in wedding regalia and I thought it might be funny to hang portraits of husband and me, each in wedding attire, below these two, but then again, maybe that's dumb.

February 25, 2007

The flea market was very good to me this weekend, very good indeed. I found this silk fireplace screen for $55 and I was so happy it wasn't $200 that I didn't even talk them down. It has a very nice dark wood frame with brass scroll embellishemnents and is backed with a golden patterned silk. If you look carefully it says "Casapinka" in Chinese, which was an amazing coincidence.

We had talked about getting this screen for the room but I had held off for some reason. This silk screen changes the room entirely and seems to add some depth and nice color to it.

By next winter we will need a wrought iron screen since this silk one isn't practical in front of a burning fire but I think we can wait on it.